let us be frequent in reading his word, in praying to him and praising him, and in fending up our fouls to him in religious meditation. Let us not deny our poor fouls, the only happiness which this world affords them; the only food which can nourish them, but let them take as much heaven here as they can, and feed at prefent upon the crumbs that fall down from their Lord's table, till at last they shall be admitted to fit down at his table with him in his kingdom.

But if pleasure be not strong enough alone to draw you to your closet, yet fure when profit is joined to it, you cannot poffibly refift; and therefore I will proceed in the laft place, to fhew that the benefits which we fhall receive from the frequent performance of our closet-duties, will be unfpeakably great.

I. When we have accustomed ourselves to delight in our clofets, we shall never have any time lie upon our hands, but fhall know where to employ all our vacant hours. And this, as it will be a great ease to us here, fo will it turn to great account hereafter. It will at prefent free us from all thofe troubles and

inconveniencies, which idleness and want of knowing how to spend our time continually bring upon us, which are very many and very great, and it will mightily fhorten our fad account, and take away more than one third part from the catalogue of our fins. For I am fure I may fafely fay, that, as time is generally spent, above one third part of the fins which we commit is owing to idleness. When therefore all our idle hours are turned into hours of devotion, how much better will our accounts look, how much eafier shall we our felves be here, and how much happier hereafter.

II. The conftant performance of these duties is a very likely way to fettle fuch a firm fenfe of religion upon our minds, as fhall influence the whole course of our lives. For what we do in our closets, is done with a great deal more thoughtful-nefs, and makes much deeper impreffions upon us, than what we do in publick; fo that we may with good reafon hope that the religion of our closets will fhew forth its fruit in all the other parts of our lives and conversations; and that it will bring an habitual serioufnefs upon us, and fix VOL. III.

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God fo firmly in our thoughts, that it will be no eafy matter to difpoffefs him.

III. This is the best way we can take to procure God's bleffing upon us here, in our worldly concerns. For when he shall look down from heaven, and behold a fincere and undiffembled foul, who does not only make a profeffion of him in publick for present advantage, but worships him in the most retired places where no eye can see her but his own, I fay when he fhall behold fo much true and fincere religion in any of us, it is ten thousand to one but that he will blefs us in all we undertake. This without doubt will make us very dear unto him, for he loves fincerity and truth, and in all probability will put us under his particular care and protection. But,

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IV. and lastly, Whether it obtains any bleffings for us in this world or no, it will without fail make fure of those of another world. At the great day of retribution, when men fhall be rewarded according to their deeds, then will our Father, who hath feen us in fecret, reward us openly enough. Openly indeed, in the prefence of the whole world, in the presence

of

of his holy angels, and all the faints in heaven. Then every moment that was religiously spent in our closets shall turn to our advantage, and help to encrease our happiness. Many fhall we fee in that day, who, though they made great fhews of religion in the world, yet really had none at all; who frequented the churches to be seen of men, but never approved themselves to God in their closets. These poor unhappy wretches, having fadly deceived their own fouls, fhall now find the fad confequence of this deceit; they are now unmasked, and their form of godli nefs will profit them, no more, but they fhall be given up to the devil, whose children indeed they have always been. But the fincere christian, whose religion has not been acted, but has been hearty and fincere, the fame in the closet that it appeared in the church, fhall dwell for ever with the God of truth and fincerity, and continually taste of those joys, and drink of those rivers of pleasure, which are at God's right hand for evermore.

If then either the profpect of present pleasure and profit, or the hopes of future happiness have any power over us,

they will oblige us to a conftant performance of the duties of the closet, which is attended with certain pleasures and great profit here, and will be rewarded with eternal happiness hereafter. And on the contrary, the neglect of them, being the highest contempt of God that can be, as fhewing that we have indeed no true religion at all, but that it is all false and counterfeit, and that we have no regard at all to the commands of God, who has ftrictly enjoined us thus to wait upon him in private, will have its due reward in hell, amongst the wicked and ungodly Let us confider this, and be wife.

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